Members of the Save St. Brigid’s Action Group say people have trust and confident in the service which was provided by the Carrick on Suir hospital.
During a meeting with the Joint Committee on Public Petitions yesterday a number of representations were made accusing the HSE of contempt and inhumanity for the people of Tipperary, Waterford and Kilkenny.
Services at the facility in Carrick-on-Suir stopped in 2020 despite the work of the community in the local area raising significant funds for the hospital.
Barry Torpey from the action group told the Committee chaired by Tipperary TD Martin Browne that it was somewhere families felt safe sending their loved ones.
“If anybody had to go in there for either palliative care, respite care or convalescence they know they are going to be looked after as a patient. The knowledge that they’re going into safe place and they are going to be looked after and their family can go in and see them if even respite they will be coming back everybody will be rejuvenated. Even if it’s palliative care they know what facilities they have to see that person out of this life, the confidence that it gives the patient and the confidence that it gives the family.”
Susan Mullins from the Save St. Brigid’s Action Group went on to say that instead of making the required small changes the HSE shut the place down despite the work of the community.
“The people of Carrick are so prepared to fundraise for our beloved St. Brigid’s. I think there was about €90,000 that was raised by the community that were held in an account that are still there. We could make those small changes and lockers or whatever, wardrobes, we could take the shoulders off the narrow corridor that we don’t have the measurement for, those could all be done. It’s the HSE it’s HIQA its policy, you make the policy and then you do report afterwards to make it fit the policy.”
